Movies like Mental Scars (2009)
The best movies like Mental Scars (2009) are I Bury the Living (1958), Maniac (1963) and Grip of the Strangler (1958). If Mental Scars hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCarnival of Souls (1962)7.0/10 from 570 votes
- NewestPizzopath (2026)Released 2026
I Bury the Living (1958)
The new manager of a small-town cemetery becomes convinced that he triggered the untimely deaths of several plot owners by tampering with a certain map. When nobody believes him, he risks his sanity to play God once again and prove his point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManiac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrip of the Strangler (1958)
A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeadsight (2018)
A man with partial blindness and a young pregnant police officer must work together to escape a deadly virus that has spread across Grey County.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Mirror (1946)
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wailer (2006)
On their way to Mexico, six students are stranded in a small town where years before a tragedy took place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shed (2019)
The story of Stan, an orphaned teenager stuck living with his abusive grandfather and tasked with routinely protecting his best friend from high school bullies. When Stan discovers a murderous creature has taken refuge inside the tool shed in his backyard, he tries to secretly battle the demon alone until his bullied friend discovers the creature and has a far more sinister plan in mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZ (2019)
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Strangler (1973)
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a killer murders a certain number of people, drains them of their blood, and then disappears into the night. Kolchak is on his trail, but can he stop him?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMermaid Down (2019)
A mermaid is ripped from the ocean by a fishing crew only to be tortured and to have her tail cut off. A seemingly helpful stranger intervenes, but then locks her away in an institution for mentally disturbed young women, where no one believes she is a mermaid. With no way out, she is forced to count on her survival instincts, and fight for her life at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarnival of Souls (1962)
Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Leopard Man (1943)
When a leopard escapes during a publicity stunt, it triggers a series of murders.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)
After a mysterious bout of amnesia, a beloved children’s television host struggles to piece together his fractured memories, only to find his once-cheerful puppet co-stars behaving with sinister intent. As reality unravels, the line between performance and nightmare begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAngels Fallen: Warriors of Peace (2024)
When an Iraq War veteran receives a calling from a higher power, he embarks on a mission to stop a fallen angel from raising an army of the dead to take over the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisSon of Dracula (1943)
Carpathian Count Alucard is invited to the U.S. by a young heiress. Her boyfriend and local officials are suspicious of the newcomer, who is interested in the "virile" soil of the new world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Night Walker (1964)
A woman is haunted by recurring nightmares, which seem to be instigated by her late husband who supposedly was killed in a fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsurd (1981)
A priest-doctor chasing a man with supernatural regenerative abilities, who has recently escaped from a medical lab, reaches a small town where the mutant goes on a killing spree.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisStreet Trash (1987)
A group of hobos begin melting into multicolored piles of goo after drinking sixty-year-old liquor. At the same time, the psychotic Vietnam War vet who rules the hobo camp snaps and begins killing at random. Two brothers set out to stop the liquor and the killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSimon Says (2007)
Five college friends choose to spend their vacation debauching at the riverside. They find the perfect place to camp out, but end up crossing paths with twin brothers, Simon and Stanley. The twins then begins to knock off the campers in some extremely creative (and extremely gruesome) ways.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisPizzopath (2026)
A group of friends are having a party in a villa filled with dancing, alcohol, and laughter. By chance, they find a pizza box in perfect condition and eat it, unaware that it belongs to PIZZOPATH, who will do anything to get back what they've stolen...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Stepfather (1987)
Seemingly mild-mannered Henry Morrison has just murdered his entire family. After adopting a new identity and skipping town, he begins building a new relationship with a widow and her teenage daughter. However, he soon begins struggling to hide his true identity and maintain a grip on reality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
A newsman works with a blind puzzle-solver to uncover a deadly conspiracy linked to a genetic research facility.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrain Damage (1988)
Brian comes under the addictive spell of a parasite with the ability to induce euphoric hallucinations in its hosts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Axe (2022)
A group of young adults, trying to enjoy a high school reunion party, are terrorized by an escaped mental patient obsessed with satisfying his blood lust. One by one they are made victims of the sadistic killer. Who will survive on the NIGHT OF THE AXE? A gore soaked, old-school shocker from Facemelt Features.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Highwaymen (2004)
James Cray watched as his wife was killed by Fargo, a hit-and-run serial murderer. After severely injuring Fargo and going to prison for several years, James is now determined to avenge his wife's death. He drives across the country looking for Fargo's 1972 Cadillac Eldorado, which the now-disabled killer has turned into a rolling death trap. James' search is helped by a state traffic officer and a singer with her own agenda.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisHell's Highway (2002)
Four college friends take a fateful road trip. The road, Hell's Highway--a direct route to terror. They pick up Lucinda: A hot young hitchiker, full of sexual deviance and lust for the bloody kill. After being terrorized and nearly killed, the group manages to turn the tables. They thought they killed her, but around the next ben--around every ben-- she appears like a mirage ready to murder again. Is she the devil? Can anyone stop her killing spree?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mental Scars?
The closest matches to Mental Scars are I Bury the Living (1958), Maniac (1963) and Grip of the Strangler (1958). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mental Scars?
Start with I Bury the Living (1958), the closest match to Mental Scars.
What is the highest-rated movie like Mental Scars?
Carnival of Souls (1962), rated 7.0/10 by 570 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Mental Scars?
Pizzopath (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Mental Scars?
Yes: I Bury the Living (1958), Maniac (1963) and Grip of the Strangler (1958).
How are movies similar to Mental Scars chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mental Scars, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.